Monday, March 30, 2009

The Tricked-Out Truffle

Back when I'd first become fascinated with chocolate, but was still scared stiff by the very mention of the word "temper", I came across an extremely old-fashioned technique for fashioning those extremely intense morsels of bittersweet chocolate heaven otherwise known as truffles. Luckily, the technique was as ridiculously easy as the results were spectacularly delicious.

I've since conquered those irrational fears of tempering, and have come to relax sufficiently to actually enjoy the process. Tempering, as therapeutic as it may be, is also a process that's best applied to relatively large quantities of chocolate. And it cannot be hurried along. So relish it as I may, I still call upon this perfectly simple (and simply perfect) formula - Look, Ma, no tempering! - time and again when I need to produce a small batch of truffles or need to produce them in a jiffy.

No need to wade through thickets of technical tempering information. No need to keep in mind the three narrow temperature ranges for melting, crystallization, and working respectively.

The absence of a crisp, prim and proper, tempered chocolate dipped coat amplifies the aspect of larger-than-life, unabashedly sensual, melt-in-the-mouthiness to these truffes au chocolat. If you're partial to this, you'll know exactly the mouthfeel and sensation I had just attempted to describe in words.

PS: Dear S & D, if you are reading this, thank you again for the lovely gift. While it's not exactly difficult to figure out my weakness for tableware, how on earth you managed to figure out my fondness of anemones, and not just any anemones but belle epoque inspired ones, is beyond thoughtful! xoxo

8 Comments:

After taking a class from Alice Medrich, she was not that concerened about tempering either...you just need good chocolate especially if you are going to make a batch of truffles that are going to be consumed immediately anyway.

When I was in culinary school we had to temper chocolate and I found I was pretty good at it ... but I hated doing it! I like my truffles coated in cocoa powder or toasted nuts. Easier, and to me, just as beautiful!